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Topic Review (Newest First)

08-19-2013 03:36 AM

FlyingHellFish

For the Rotala, when you trim the plant, do you replant the tops? I'm trying to get a ball-shape for my Rotala, but it just spits out new stems.

08-13-2013 04:29 AM

freph

Quote:

Originally Posted by Couesfanatic

any updates?

Just some algae on the glass. My CO2 ran out. Oops.

HC, hairgrass and rotala as healthy as ever.

08-13-2013 04:26 AM

Francis Xavier

Great to see you've turned the corner, Freph!

08-12-2013 10:17 PM

Couesfanatic

any updates?

05-19-2013 10:01 PM

Green_Flash

Nice thicket!

05-19-2013 07:45 PM

Couesfanatic

looks great, very natural.

05-19-2013 07:22 PM

freph

A little bit of an update I suppose. I mowed the carpet down in a thread a little while ago detailing how to trim and what you should expect it to look like afterwards. You can see here that it's already grown back in and starting to thicken again. Also, I present...

practice makes perfect... sometimes its worth just getting rid of the distractions and just focus on growing the plants better. I wish I can do that. but I always want something that's aesthetically pleasing to me. even if I get frustrated trying to get it right...

Aesthetics and healthy planted tanks go hand-in-hand. The rock was just an algae magnet and far too disproportionate for this poor tank in my case. You should have seen the crater that it made from removing it! Ridiculously huge. I had to add a good amount of powder type soil back to the tank to level it out. Good thing about the plant mass and well-established biofilter in that tank is that I didn't have to keep the fish and shrimp out while waiting for the ammonia to leach out of the soil. It handled itself. Only real issue was a little bit of GDA on the glass and that's easy peasy.

Just try to look at the long term in making a scape. If it doesn't look right in your mind then it it's probably not going to look right in the end result either. Also realize that a freshly planted tank is going to have some dings in it. I've been working with the HC/E. parvula carpet for months. I've been working with the E. acicularis for just as long. The rotala has been worked on in the past couple of month as well. All that's been done to it is about 15 stems or so at the initial planting and the rest was trimming and letting rogue stems grow horizontal to the substrate. This is a very quick and easy way to make rotala bushy or to propagate new plants.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jdiesels

All of these scapes have made me a better human being, thank you...

Thank you for the comment! I'm glad they have inspired you.

04-20-2013 11:37 PM

Jdiesels

All of these scapes have made me a better human being, thank you...

04-20-2013 11:26 PM

frrok

practice makes perfect... sometimes its worth just getting rid of the distractions and judt focus on growing the plants better. I wish I can do that. but I always want something thats aesthetically pleasing to me. even if I get frustrated trying to get it right...

04-20-2013 08:36 PM

freph

Quote:

Originally Posted by Green_Flash

I like it, when the rotala grows in some more it will look even nicer.

Indeed. I'm toying with iron dosing and the height of the rotala to control the amount of red I get out of it. It doesn't show well in the pictures, but it's an almost bronze color right now. It's quite nice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patson

Wow the HC carpet

That carpet has given me more headaches than I care to say. I've finally learned how to trim it right, though. Trimming and good CO2 are things that HC definitely requires and they must be done right.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrAlmostWrong

Your persistence through all of this is truly inspiring. Great to see you are able to get to a place with this tank that makes you happy. Almost time for me to start my first lawn.

Thank you! I'm so very glad that the tank has come to this stage as well. I almost considered tearing it down completely at one point due to frustration. Just goes to show that a little bit of hard work and perseverance can pay off very well. Make sure you get enough to start your first lawn when you do. Densely planting with carpet plants from the get-go is a great way to give yourself a head start and to avoid problems.

04-20-2013 01:01 PM

MrAlmostWrong

Your persistence through all of this is truly inspiring. Great to see you are able to get to a place with this tank that makes you happy. Almost time for me to start my first lawn.

04-20-2013 06:39 AM

Patson

Wow the HC carpet

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